Conclave: Cardinali votano nella Cappella Sistina – LIVE – Notizie

The voting to choose the new Pope resumed today: the second and third scrutiny of the conclave were inconclusive. This was indicated by the black smoke, which appeared at 11:51 am. The cardinals then returned to the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon for the third round of voting. In the afternoon, the fourth and fifth ballots will be conducted, awaiting the new smoke. If a positive outcome is achieved on the fourth ballot, the smoke will be around 5 pm. Otherwise, there will still be a smoke (white or black) around 7 pm.

To pass the time in St. Peter’s Square, some people are playing soccer. Carmine and Sara, both 9 years old, are two Italian children who met last night during the first smoke. Thanks to them, even the parents made friends in the square. They have decided to stay in the square until the white smoke arrives and hope that tonight will be the decisive one since they have three children, including a 1 year and 3 months old baby. “We are Romans and very believers,” explains one of the mothers. “We hope that tonight is the right time. We came yesterday and this morning, and maybe the third time is the charm.”

The elector cardinals are heading to the Sistine Chapel for the third voting session to elect the 267th Pope in history. After lunch, the cardinals reached the Pauline Chapel for a traditional moment of prayer before entering the Sistine Chapel. Here, in the afternoon, the fourth and fifth ballots will take place, awaiting the new smoke after the first two black ones yesterday and this morning. If a positive outcome is achieved on the fourth ballot, the smoke will be around 5 pm. Otherwise, there will still be a smoke (white or black) around 7 pm.

“We came to greet Francis, to pray for him. And also for the Pope to come, we hope he follows his teachings.” Thousands of pilgrims and faithful are already in line at the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, guarded by law enforcement and civil protection, to pass through the holy door for the Jubilee but, above all, to visit the tomb of the late pontiff.

The world is watching closely, with the image of the chimney of St. Peter’s dominating the homepages of major international websites. Websites are dedicating live streaming coverage and real-time updates on their live blogs to the election of the new Pontiff. Minute by minute coverage of the Conclave from Europe to the United States, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
American media are giving significant coverage to the second day of voting by the cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel, awaiting, as CNN headlines, the white smoke in a climate of great uncertainty. While the New York Times, to inform those less familiar with the Conclave rituals, highlights the tradition of the smoke, explaining in detail how the Vatican communicates to the world who the new Pope is. Fox News emphasizes the importance of the name chosen by the new Pontiff, from which – it is explained – one can often infer the pastoral line.

“We are doing a great job on the conclave, already started with the deployment of forces put in place for Pope Francis’s funeral. We are doing this to manage the current influx in St. Peter’s Square, about 50-60 thousand people, which is not excessive, but especially in view of the inauguration mass of the new Pope, which could see a particularly large participation. We are ready, the emergency services are ready, as is civil protection, we are really well organized.” So said the President of the Lazio Region Francesco Rocca, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Health Village at the Circus Maximus in Rome ahead of the Race for the Cure on Sunday, May 11.

After the second and third voting rounds, the cardinals gathered in conclave are now returning to Casa Santa Marta for lunch. At 3:45 pm, they will depart for the Apostolic Palace, then at 4:30 pm, they will retire to the Sistine Chapel for two more votes, and at the end (around 7:30 pm) the celebration of Vespers. The smoke is expected in the evening, unless the new Pope is chosen in the fourth ballot, and therefore in the mid-afternoon. In that case, the smoke will be white.

After the black smoke, which surprised the faithful in St. Peter’s Square because it was expected after 12, applause broke out from the crowd, even though the vote was unsuccessful. Some people stayed to film the chimney with their smartphones while several faithful decided to leave the square. “They did it earlier because yesterday they made us wait too long, more than two hours,” said one lady as she left.

The second and third ballots of the conclave were inconclusive. This was indicated by the black smoke, which appeared at 11:51 am. The cardinals will now go to lunch at Santa Marta to reconvene in the early afternoon.

There were approximately twelve thousand people present in St. Peter’s Square this morning to witness the second smoke. This is the estimate of the law enforcement present on site.

While waiting for the new conclave votes, international bookmakers are updating their predictions on the next Pope: the spotlight is once again on the head-to-head between Luis Antonio Tagle and Pietro Parolin. This time, however, the Filipino cardinal is ahead, offered at 3 by William Hill’s betting analysts against the 3.50 of the Vatican Secretary of State. The “pair” of Italians Matteo Zuppi and Pierbattista Pizzaballa remains at 6, while the Ghanaian Peter Turkson rises from 5 to 9. The most significant jump in odds is for Jean-Marc Aveline, a “protégé” of Bergoglio: the Frenchman is now played at 18, a sharp drop from the 33 six days ago. Also making an appearance on the bookmakers’ list is the American Robert Francis Prevost, rising but still an outsider at odds of 50.

Once again this morning, television stations worldwide have started tuning in to the chimney on the Sistine Chapel. It should soon be apparent whether the second ballot was successful. Otherwise, the anticipation will shift to late morning, around 12 and a little later, when smoke will arrive in any case. As was the case yesterday, seagulls that normally populate the Vatican area take turns perching on the roof, keeping watch on the chimney.

“The world awaits much from the new Pope, not only for a religious awakening but also because the world is troubled by a very serious problem, that of war in many countries. That between Ukraine and the Russian Federation which has consequences throughout Europe. And then in Gaza, in the land where Christ was born and where the land itself calls for peace but peace is not there. We are going through a difficult time for humanity. And we hope that now there is a recovery.” This was stated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re today in Pompeii for the Supplication to Our Lady of the Rosary.

“I hope that returning to Rome this evening, we will already find the white smoke. I am particularly pleased to be here at the beginning of the Conclave because the Holy Spirit will blow strongly and elect the Pope that today’s Church and today’s world need.” This was said by Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re in Pompeii, emphasizing that the new Pope “must first try to strengthen faith in God in our world characterized by technological progress but in spiritual terms we have noticed a bit of ‘forgetting God.’ “So there is a need for a revival.”

The cardinal electors, after the Mass and prayer, are currently in the Sistine Chapel for the second scrutiny of this conclave. If there is no smoke shortly (in this case only if white), it means that this vote has not reached the quorum of 89, and therefore the third scrutiny will be conducted, at the end of which, at the end of the morning, around 12, there will be smoke, whether white or black.

Among the peculiarities of the Conclave that opened yesterday in the Sistine Chapel, one that few have noticed is that among the electors choosing the new Pontiff, there are two who have their roots in the same place, a town in India with just 8,000 inhabitants. Both the Indian Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa, and the Pakistani Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi – as noted by AsiaNews – hail from Aldona, a quaint town nestled in the lush landscape of the northern part of the small state of Goa, the heart of Indian Catholicism. A place that becomes a symbol of the shift in the Church’s center.

This common root for two cardinals who now live in two countries like India and Pakistan takes on a special meaning, especially in light of the dramatic news of recent hours, with Operation Sindoor launched by the Indian army as retaliation for the terrorist attack a few days ago in Pakistan. Giving further strength to the call for peace coming from the Churches of both countries.

Cardinal Ferrao was born in Aldona in 1953 and grew up in the town; his family still lives in a house in the Santerxette neighborhood. Cardinal Coutts was born in Amristar in 1945, but his father was originally from Aldona and moved to Karachi for his work at the Imperial Chemical Industries. Bishop first in Hyderabad, then in Faisalabad, and finally in Karachi, he has always maintained a strong bond with Goa, to the extent that in 2000, he was invited to preside over the celebration in which Saint Joseph Vaz was proclaimed the patron of the archdiocese, as recalled by AsiaNews. The entire state of Goa has always been a breeding ground for bishops and cardinals: there are about 60 born here who have served in India, Pakistan, or even as missionaries in Africa. However, Aldona stands out for being the birthplace of at least six prelates, including Coutts, Ferrao, but also the Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi Monsignor Evarist Pinto, and the Archbishop of New Delhi Monsignor Anil Couto, who is actually a cousin of Cardinal Coutts.

In the wake of the inconclusive first ballot in the conclave for the seat of Peter, according to reports today from El Pais, the odds of two Spanish and one Filipino cardinals have risen as possible successors to Bergoglio: Cristobal Lopez, Angel Fernandez Artime, and Pablo Virgilio David.

The 133 voting cardinals remained locked in the Sistine Chapel for over 3 hours before signaling that no one had received enough votes to succeed Francis.